Friend Zone
by cm757
Summary: They're friends. And they want to remain that way. But, unknown to them, deep down, it's killing them, slowly, from the inside. This is a story about how they deal with it. Team fic with Steve/Kono focus.
1. Chapter 1

**Friend zone**

**Authors note: Hey guys! I'm back with a new story! I owe this to Tiana-P and Badhairdays that have supported me through this. The Prompts is gonna be put on hold for a while because of this, but I'll try to update it at least once every two weeks. But anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and let me know if it's worth continuing! I know it's short, but believe me, this is just the foundation for everything that will happen next, I promise. This will have humor, romance, angst, comfort, all that you can imagine will be in this story.**

**Summary: They're in the friend-zone. And they're fine with it. But suddenly, it becomes too much, and they have to do something about it. Team and Steve/Kono focus.**

**Anyway, let me know what you think!**

"No, no, no!" she screamed, an indignant look present on her face as she stared at the TV. "That was so clearly a fault, what the hell are you doing?"

Steve frowned, shifting his gaze from the TV towards her. "Who are you talking to?"

She turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. "The referee." She said, because, you know, that's totally something normal people do.

"Right." He acknowledged, drawing out the word. "Because he can absolutely hear you."

Kono rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. You knew what you were getting into when you suggested watching a football game." She snickered, snuggling back under the blanket, leaning against the back of the couch, and putting a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

He shook his head and directed his focus back on the TV, only to see that the game had already finished.

He picked up the remote. "Ok, what do you wanna do now?"

She chewed the popcorn down and thought for a second. "We could watch a movie. I think I have a couple of DVDs left."

"Oh no, I'm not watching a movie with you again."

She furrowed her brow, turning to look at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He gave her a funny look. "You serious? Last week it took you 20 minutes to _pick_ one!"

"We were at your place! There weren't even any good DVDs there!" she defended herself, because really, you should see this man's DVD collection.

"We ended up watching The Holiday." He shot her a look. "Again."

"Ok, so, I admit, that might not have been my best choice of all times." She said, chuckling. "But come on, it'll be fun. I'll let you pick this time." She offered, punching his arm jokingly.

"Me? You're letting me pick?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "Wow, well that's a first. Ok-" he clasped his hands together.

"If you say Die Hard I swear I'm gonna kick you." She warned, a completely casual tone to her voice.

"What?" he asked, laughing. "So, ok, even if I get to chose a movie, you're still gonna make me chose the one you want, right?"

Kono just smiled at him, that sweet innocent smile she always gave him when she was being anything _but_ innocent. "Sucks being a guy."

"Got that right." He muttered under his breath, getting up from the couch. "Ok, what do you have?"

She frowned deeply, thinking back. "Uh… I think I still have Marley and me… somewhere." She added thoughtfully. "Wanna watch it?"

He was already opening the door to her room when he turned around to look at her. "What's that?"

There was a small moment of confusion before she slowly turned her head towards him. "What's what?"

"_Marley and me_. Is that a chick flick or something?" He asked again, clearly not that happy with the idea.

Her eyebrows shot up, and she swore she almost dropped the bowl full of popcorn. "You never watched it? Seriously? The saddest movie on earth? Ever?"

He gave her a look. "They don't exactly teach us how to select the best movies in the navy."

She sighed, having the urge to laugh her ass out but deciding against it. "Ok, let's go." She said, getting up from the couch. "You're gonna watch that whether you want it or not."

He smirked, following behind her. "It better be good, though."

….

"You uh… you busy tonight?" he asked, nose still stuck between the files as his eyes shifted towards the big screen. "I think we'll be done with this by then."

Kono frowned, lifting her head to look at him from across the tactic table. "Uh… I'm not really busy… why?"

He paused before turning towards her and shrugging. "Just thought we could hang out. You know, grab a few beers, make fun of Danny."

She had the urge to laugh at that.

"Did anyone say beers?" Danny's voice was heard from the end of the hallway. He popped his head out of his office door. "Because I'm in, if that's the case."

Steve eyed him as Danny made his way over towards them. "Sorry, it's just gonna be me and Kono."

"Huh-huh." Kono cleared her throat, looking confused back at Steve. "I never said yes to this."

"So you two are gonna hang out?" Danny interrupted, stopping abruptly ten feet from them. "Together?" he added suspiciously. "Alone?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "As friends, Danny."

He raised an eyebrow at that, turning to look at Kono. "You expect me to believe that?"

She frowned at him. "Why wouldn't you? You never hung out with a _friend_ before?"

"Not a lady friend." Danny promptly replied. "And certainly not with someone like you."

She placed her hands on her waist. "And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Danny." Steve said before Danny could even open his mouth. "Kono and I are friends. And we're gonna hang out as friends. Now do you have a problem with that?"

Danny's eyebrows shot up. "Of course I have a problem with that! I don't want to walk in one day and find you two making out in your office! That is just – oh my God, I can't even picture it."

She looked at Steve. "He does know what friends mean, right?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"No, just-" Danny said. "You know what, go do whatever you two want. Just don't say I didn't warn you when Chin comes to kill you, Steve."

And with that he walked out, back to his office, slamming the door shut.

There were a few moments of silence between them. What the-

"What the hell just happened here?" Kono asked.

Steve rolled his eyes again, turning towards the big screen. "Danny overreacting. As always."

She blinked, her eyes still glued to Danny's office door. "Did you tell him anything?"

He frowned, his attention now on something else while he just made a questioning sound.

"About me." She said, but that still didn't get his attention. "Steve!"

His body jerked to the right, his face scrunched up in confusion. "What?"

"Did you mention anything to Danny? About me." She asked, pointing to herself. "You know, the fact that you went bikini shopping with me, or that we have movie night every other week at your place?" she raised an eyebrow. "Or that you've even met my parents?"

He stared at her with a pensative look on his face. "I may have mentioned one or two things."

She let out an exasperated sight, collapsing on the chair nearby. "Seriously? You talked to him about it? How the hell did you think he was gonna react?"

He shrugged. "He seemed to react fine."

"Are you serious? You're practically ruining your famous bromance!" she extended her arms at him in a gesture of impatience.

He seemed to be considering this before he turned towards the screen again. "Whatever, Danny's just being paranoid."

She shook her head. "Fine, whatever." She checked her watch. "It's already lunch time. I'm gonna head off for a while, ok?"

He nodded his head absentmindedly, tapping on the computer.

She rolled her eyes. Like he knew anything about computers. She grabbed her bag and walked towards the door.

"Don't forget, beers tonight!" he threw back at her.

"Fine!" she replied, a smile on her face as she pressed the elevator button and disappeared behind the doors.

…

**Authors note: That's it for today folks. Make sure you let me know what you thought!**

**The idea of friend-zone actually came to me while I was scrolling through this website, but the main idea here is that Steve and Kono are friends, just that, until they become something more. Wait and see, hope to see you in my next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Friend zone part 2**

**Authors note: Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter! I'll try to update sooner this time, mainly because my exams are finally over. So yay! Anyway, you guys let me know if you like this chapter, okay? Leave a review please!**

**Chapter 2**

"So what do we do now?"

The question hung in the air, three heads turned towards their team leader as Steve himself looked intently at the amount of papers spread around the table, thinking, trying to come up with a solution.

The thing is, they'd all done that. Every day for the past week, every little break through they made got them right back here, staring at the evidence, attempting to make sense of them, while they just stared back at the team, like a door that simply wouldn't open no matter how hard you pushed it.

"Nothing."

And yes, that was exactly the word they were trying to avoid. Steve stepped back from the table, letting out a small sigh of… what was it, disappointment? Sadness? He brought his head up, and somehow guilt and regret was written all over his eyes, even though this was all but his fault. "We can't do anything."

And without knowing why, Kono was already prepared to hear Danny's high pitched voice telling him that there had to be something they could do, nobody could be this smart, procedure be damned, they were gonna get this guy. Surprisingly, it wasn't Danny who said such a thing.

"What?"

It was her.

"You're telling me, we're just going to let him go free? Just like that?" she questioned, her eyes hard and intent on Steve as she just couldn't believe this, this was not what they had taught her, this was not what _he_ had taught her.

His eyes focused on hers, and he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Kono, there aren't enough evidences. We're never gonna convince a judge that this guy is guilty."

She shook her head and grabbed the gun wrapped in plastic from the table. "What about this, huh? It's got his fingerprints **all** over it!"

"Kono," she felt Chin's hand resting on her shoulder, and she honestly wondered how the hell he could be this calm in a situation like this. "You know that's never gonna stick in court. James Morrison reported it missing two months ago, he's claiming someone stole it and killed those kids."

She turned her body fully towards him, a flash of anger passing her brown eyes. "He's the one who did it! You know it! I know it! Hell, everyone in HPD knows it!"

"Kono-" this time it was Steve who interrupted her, feeling Danny's eyes switching between him and Kono, Steve remaining in his side of the table. The thought that Danny hadn't said a word in a long time crossed his mind, along with a random 'thank God', but he focused back on her. "We can't prove it. These things happen. We all know that."

"They don't have to happen!" She snapped, dropping the gun on the table. "We have to prove this, I am _not_ letting him get away with this!"

Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw Danny stepping away from the room, pinching the bridge of his nose in what they had all learned was an old habit of his, and they vaguely registered the sound of the door to his office slamming shut. Steve huffed and went around the table until he was facing her, diverting his eyes from hers, avoiding the disappointment and distressed look she was shooting his way. "Kono-"

"No." she growled, nudging him (hard) with her finger, almost stabbing him with it and she planted it on his chest. "Do not _dare_ tell me we can't do this. Those kids _died _because of him, now he's damn well gonna pay for it."

And with that she flew past him, taking decisive steps towards the door and leaving the building before either of them could stop her, talk some sense into her, make her understand.

Because she _wouldn't_. She just _wouldn't_.

"Don't." of course it had to be Chin to make him stop dead in his tracks, forcing Steve to turn around and shoot him a quizzical look. "She doesn't need that right now. She'll come around, eventually."

Steve really couldn't explain the urge to punch the guy in the face and growl at him that Kono needed him right now, and Chin wasn't gonna stop him, but he forced himself to remain calm. Close his eyes. Take a deep breath.

"What am I supposed to do then?"

Chin's expression doesn't change, it's still that stoic stance and that murderous calm, and Steve couldn't help but think that maybe Chin knew everything that just went though his head. "Just don't do anything. You how she is, she'll come to you when she's ready."

He did know that. He knew that. But you know what, maybe he just wanted to ignore that right now.

That was exactly part of the reason why he could still hear Chin's sigh of disapproval as Steve continued his path, crossing the glass doors and leaving the building. He was gonna help her, and he was gonna do it now.

…

"I'm not home."

"Kono-"

"Leave."

A shake of his head, a sigh falling from his lips and he was back at pounding on her front door, caring that last bit of hope she would open the door this time, let him come in, let him understand. But nope, she wasn't giving up.

"I'm not gonna go away." But then again, neither was he.

"What do you want?"

He had to repress a groan at how her voice sounded to him from across the door, broken, racked, miserable, strained. "You to open this goddamn door. Before I break it _down_." The last word leaves with an edge from his mouth, and he knew that she was smart enough to get that he wasn't kidding, not when he was speaking in _that_ tone.

It wasn't long before he heard light, slow footsteps heading towards him, and some sort of relief washed over Steve when her face appeared in front of him, soon enough opening the door completely. She was dressed in the same clothes she had been when she was at work, and a glance at the small leaving room behind her allowed him to take in the splattered case files on the floor, the papers on her coffee table, and looking back at her, the bags under her eyes that he hadn't noticed throughout this week.

"There, the door is open. Are you gonna leave now?" Her voice was harder, an edge to it that could easily match his, but he realized a long time ago that this was just a cover, just a way to protect herself, just a way to be _independent _like she always is. And it sometimes killed him to know that she probably got that from him.

"No." a step forward. "You know I'm not." Another step forward and he passed right by her and into her house, remaining there until he saw her taking a calming breath and closing the door behind her.

"Did Chin send you here?"

He wanted to roll his eyes at this, but the painful look she pinned him with as she turned around was enough for Steve to feel awfully guilty all over again. "No. He was trying to stop me."

"You should have listened to him." Was her harsh reply before heading towards her sofa, gathering the papers from here and there and placing them in a neat pile on the top of the coffee table.

"You don't mean that." She didn't. Of course she didn't. She was just too damn stubborn to admit it.

"Either help me with this or get out. Pick one and stick with it."

He closed his eyes, squaring his jaw and just praying for some understanding here because this wasn't her. This wasn't the cheerful, kickass, amazing women that had joined and had been a part of his taskforce for two years. This was a broken shell, a racked person standing in front of him, all because of some guy they couldn't prove killed five kids. _Kids._

"This isn't gonna work. We can't prove anything. You know that."

She just ignored the words and focused on the stack of papers in front of her, scrutinizing every last bit of information. "There has got to be something here. Nobody commits the perfect crime. Wasn't that exactly what you taught me, _boss_?"

And… ouch.

"No, it wasn't." he spoke, disregarding the sharp, actual _pain_ that had just caused him. He moved forward, his eyes never leaving her as he took a seat next to Kono, taking in the way she never even looked at him, trying with all her being to keep it all inside, to just give all of her attention to _James Morrison. _"I taught you to know when to back down. To know when there's no point in pushing something that won't ever budge."

She took a sharp intake of breath and swallowed thickly. "Don't do this."

It's killing him bit by bit, the pleading behind her voice, but he knows she has to break, at least so she can put it all back together.

"It's over, Kono. We can't save everyone, and we can't bring everyone to justice. It just doesn't work like that." his hand covered her own, resting on the sofa, and the words sounded ironic to him from the countless times he had already heard those same words, just directed at him. Maybe that's what made him so fit for this, the fact that he had been in her place more times than he cared to admit.

Her eyes are pure black as they turn towards Steve, imperceptible trembles assaulting her hand under his, and it doesn't take long (it was sooner than he had expected, really) for her mouth to open, her bottom lip quivering slightly as she just says those words, those _key_ words that are the reason she insisted so much on this in the first place. "They were **kids.**"

"I know." It rushed out of his mouth, because he gets it, he gets it too well, and somehow he did wish he could never understand what she was going through, because it was just a dreadful, sucking mass of pain that kept pulling them back. It **is** a dreadful, sucking mass of pain that keeps pulling them back. "I know." He repeats, and his arms encircle her small frame not a second later, and coincidentally, it's exactly when the sobs rack her body and she break to a million pieces in his arms, falls from that clouded space and finally, _finally,_ lets him in.

She wasn't beautiful like this. The tears cascading down her cheeks didn't make her eyes look brighter, her body pressed up against him didn't make him feel warmer, the fact that she was only doing this with him by her side didn't make him feel special. Her loud cries only reminded him (and her) of how there was always gonna be a case like this, there was always gonna be one more life to loose, and how there was always gonna be _that_ one that got away.

They say girls look beautiful when they cry. She didn't. She looked awful, but that as just because it hurt him to see her like this. And so Steve had no choice but to tighten his arms around her and to press a warm kiss to her shoulder, keep whispering those soft words and tell her it was ok. It was ok. It **is** okay.

He didn't remember when she stopped crying. Didn't recall when the sobs subsided, or when her piercing cries ended. Then again, it didn't really matter. What mattered was that she was gonna be ok. They all had to move on from things like this. This was just her turn.

**Authors note: Hey guys! So I hope you liked this chapter. Make sure you leave a review, just to let me know if it's worth continuing. Next chapter will be funnier, though, and not so heavy. Hope to see you then!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Friend zone part 3**

**Authors note: Hey guys! So I just wanna send out a huge thank you to every one of you who reviewed, it really means the world to me. Please keep it up, you're all awesome!**

**Anyway… I'm not really sure what's gonna happen in this chapter, to be honest. I've got about a million ideas whirling around in my head, and I'm trying so hard not to push things, but it's so complicated! But… well, I'll manage. Huge hugs and thank you to my partner in crime/ amazing writer/ person I can tell all my crazies to/ equally crazy person Tiana-P, who has been amazing throughout all of this. Thanks so much girl!**

**But anyway, enough rambling. On with the chapter! Hope you like it, and… leave a review! You can pitch in with ideas too; I'll certainly look them over. Off you go reading!**

**Chapter 3**

"So what next?"

Steve shrugged, sipping down his beer. "I guess we can go home." Everyone in the room turned towards him. "What?" he asked, looking at the three stunned people in front of him "I mean, we don't have a case, paperwork is all dealt with, and it's still four o'clock. Why not just get some rest?"

Kono's eyes widened, downing the rest of her beer and placing the empty bottle on the large table in the middle. "So you're telling us we're actually gonna leave before three a.m.?" she asked, a sparkle in her eyes. "Boy, I am so gonna enjoy this." And with that she got up, not wasting any time before grabbing her jacket and her phone from the table and pocketing it.

"Hey, hold on, I'll join you." Steve called out, making her stop in her tracks and turn around. "Let me just grab my bag."

"Uh… hello?" Danny suddenly spoke up, looking between the two. "Are _we _not invited for this secret meeting you guys are having?" he rose an eyebrow, gesturing somewhere between him and Chin, that seemed more intent on the rerun of the game than the conversation going on around him.

Steve halted to a stop, glancing quickly towards Kono before meeting Danny's curious eyes. "Well, if you wanna join us, you're totally welcome. We're going for a hike, you got your gear?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Ah-ah, very funny McGarrett." Danny grumbled, drinking some more of his beer. "Forget it, you guys go and have fun being crazy as always. I, for one, am going home to rest, back at my apartment, which is exactly what normal people do after a full week at work."

Kono chuckled, eyes turned towards Danny. "What, you still thought we were normal? Brah, you're a little out of date there."

Chin snickered. "He's always out of date."

Kono rolled her eyes and practically pushed Steve out the door, in hopes that they wouldn't have to sit through another Danny-ramble. Luckily, they were already in the elevators when that bomb exploded.

Poor Chin.

…..

"Friend zoned?"

"Friend zoned!"

"What the hell is friend zoned?" Steve asked, frowning deeply at Danny, sitting in front of him on the table while Chin and Kono went to get more drinks.

Danny huffed, running a hand through his hair. "God, you're more hopeless than I thought." Steve chose to ignore the side remark. "Do you at least know what the _friend zone_ is?"

Steve is about to open his mouth when Danny cuts him off. "Ok, forget it, forget it, I'll just explain it to you. Ok, Steven… do you know what _friends _are?"

He shot Danny a look.

"Ok, well that's a start." Danny replied. "Now, you must know that friends do certain things, like going to a movie together, or eat dinner, or-"

"Can we make this quick? You're getting more and more boring as you speak."

Danny squinted his eyes at Steve, who had a shit eating grin present on his face. "Shut it, ok? This is for your own good." He cleared his throat and continued. "So, you and Kono are in the _friend zone._ Before there's the _acquaintance zone_, and after the friend zone there's the _romantic zone.-"_

"You're actually funny when you're talking bullshit." Steve laughed, spreading his arms on the back rest behind him.

Danny tried to brush the comment off, intent on continuing. "You and Kono, are, of course, in the friend zone. But the thing is, _she's_ the one who wants _you_ to be her _friend_. **Just** her friend, I may add."

The frowned returned to Steve's features. "What are you talking about?"

It was Danny's turn to grin. "Ah, now you're paying attention. You seriously haven't realized why you two are only just friends?"

Steve leaned forward, forearms resting on the table. "Because we just wanna be friends. I mean, the idea of me and Kono in a relationship is just – I don't know, weird."

Danny rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You, mister, are the one with the load of bullshit. You're telling me you **don't** want to be in a relationship with Kono? Are you real?"

Danny didn't let him reply to that. "Kono is the one that doesn't want anything with you. Sure, she likes your company and you two hang out more often than the rest of us, but she's keeping you at arm's length dude. I'm serious. _She's _the one that just wants to be friends. Hence the term- you, my dear friend, have been friend-zoned."

Steve took a deep breath before snorting and trying to bite back his response to that, because he's afraid Danny might fall down his chair, and although he would appreciate the quiet time in HQ, he's an essential part of the team and all and- oh screw it.

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Danny stared at him for a few seconds but before he could get a single word out of his mouth, Chin and Kono returned with the drinks.

He's tempted to shoot Steve a look and let him know that they weren't done with this, but he's already started talking to Chin and a cute blond was smiling at him from across the bar and he suddenly lost his track of thought.

…..

This was ridiculous. This was completely, utterly, shamefully ridiculous. And still, there he was, waiting in his car for her to come out of that ungodly place and to check if she left with anything. _Or with someone._

He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, radio off in case he wouldn't be able to hear something, and somehow, he felt more stupid as each second passed. But that _nagging_ voice at the back of his head just kept on bugging him and before he knew it, he was parked in front of the building, nervousness and anxiety eating at him as if he was going through his first time on the field all over again. And believe him, that was a nerve racking afternoon. Much like this one.

He stole another glance at the little white door. Still nothing.

He let out a deep breath. And there went the little voice in his head again- _you're doing it for her, you're doing it for her._

Was he really? Or did he just not trust her anymore?

_No._ He reminded himself. _You just need to know she's safe._

He highly doubted that by now.

He snapped his head to the left when the door squeaked open and Kono came out.

He seriously tried to do a million things at the same time. His eyes scrutinized her, searched for signs of her being hurt, or of her carrying something, for signs that she was as anxious as he was feeling at the moment. He didn't find anything.

Maybe he _had _just been imagining things. All those times she asked him to leave the HQ earlier, and all those times she had come up with a lame excuse to being late to… almost everything, maybe he'd just read too much into them. Yeah… the woman was allowed to have a personal life, right?

But- why the hell wasn't that uneasy feeling going away? No, there was something wrong here. There was something very wrong here.

Steve was about to get out of the car when another person came out of the little white door. It was a man, maybe 6 feet tall, tanned skin, a tad skinny. Steve squinted his eyes against the sun. He made a mental note to bring sunglasses the next time he wanted to spy on Kono.

And that was when he saw it. Just there, as if grinning mischievously at him (if animated objects could even do such a thing). _There _was the bag.

He wanted to drop his head against the head rest and shut his eyes tightly, in the vain hope that the image could be erased from his mind. It couldn't be. Fuck, he should have stayed home, he should have just trusted her when she said she was fine, he should have _listened_ to her, he should have-

But his eyes were stuck on the middle aged man, taking the last steps towards Kono's car and leaning on the driver's side window. His hands hurt from gripping the wheel so tight and he prayed for God-all-mighty will power when Kono actually lowered the window to talk with the guy.

Steve's thoughts were maybe running a hundred miles per hour on his head, and it took everything he had to be able to push them into the back of his mind in order to focus on the scene ahead of him, the scene he so desperately hoped – needed – didn't turn out the way he had an inkling suspicion it was gonna turn out.

He couldn't hear Kono's voice (after all, it wasn't like he was ten feet from her) but he could see her. And frankly, he wished he hadn't been able to see her. That way, he could fool himself for a little while longer, maybe even convince himself that it wasn't what he thought it was.

But it was. He had that _damn_ confirmation as he saw her hand just outside the car window, with... – money. Money.

It was only a few seconds while the man handed her that small, transparent bag – with that sickening white _substance_ (powder, really) in it – and she was on her way, not noticing how Steve's eyes followed her, nor the way his head dropped back, exhaling deeply and closing his eyes.

Fuck. Just- fuck.

**Authors note: Hey guys! So, I didn't plan to write this last part so soon, at all, but I thought it'd be a nice build up for the next chapter. Can you guys guess what Kono was doing? **

**I also have to dedicate this chapter to Sidalee, who is completely awesome and amazing and to whom I am sending virtual hugs right now. Thanks so much!**

**Anyway, hope you liked the chapter, and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Friend Zone part 4**

**Authors note: Hey guys! First of all thanks so much for all the reviews! My goal is to get at least 10 reviews per chapter, and I think I've managed it so far. So, again, thank you so much! Love you guys! **

**Secondly, I would like to send a thank you, again, to Tiana-P for always being there for me, being my beta, friend, teasing me and freaking me out when she showed me the press release for the finale *pointed look*. **

**Ok, on with the story now. Hope you like it!**

**Chapter 4**

"Just a second!"

Steve heard scrambling inside, and then what he could distinctly identify as a string of curses coming from Kono (who probably hit her foot on the sofa or something) until the door swung open to reveal her bright face, smile present as always. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

He held back a snort. "Are you still in the same clothes as yesterday?"

She looked down at herself, chuckling. "Oh, yeah. I was so tired last night I fell asleep on the couch and didn't even get to change." She looked up again, beaming.

There was a moment of silence before her smile faded a little. It was replaced by a frown. "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Yesterday was Saturday." She pointed out.

Steve nodded. "You're right."

"We didn't see each other yesterday." She spoke again, crossing her arms on her chest.

And he nodded one more time, expression unreadable. "Can I come in?" he asked, already making to head inside.

She was still frowning but let him pass nonetheless, closing the door quietly behind them. Fear was starting to grip her from inside. Her hand lingered on the closed door for a second as she turned around, coming to face him."Do you want a beer? I think I still have one left from the other night."

He just shook his head. "No need. I'm not staying that long."

Her eyes swept the entire apartment, and then made their way back to his. "O-kay."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, willing himself to take a deep breath. Time stopped for him. What was he going to say to her? Oh, hey, so I saw you yesterday doing something very strange and I'm scared to ask if it is what I'm thinking because I know you wouldn't do something like that? Oh, that's right; you know what you did yesterday? Yeah, why did you lie to me? Oh, Kono, you mind telling me why you were-

"Are you using drugs?"

He knew it was a cliché, but he regretted the words the minute they left his mouth. He hit himself mentally. Fuck, that was so not the way he meant to ask this. It just came rushing out, Jesus, did he have no self control whatsoever? He looked at the wall beside him, not wanting to look at her.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"What?"

He didn't hear anger. He didn't hear rage. He didn't hear disappointment.

He swallowed. He heard weakness.

His eyes traveled back to hers. He saw… she was-

"Answer me." This wasn't him talking. Where did the attitude come from all of a sudden? "Are you using drugs, Kono?"

Her breath got caught in her throat. The intensity he was looking at her with, the heatedness in his eyes, his pressing, his stance. He knew. Fuck, he knew.

"Why would you ask me that?" she tried to muster a confused smile. It didn't matter. Even if she were able to pull it off, he would still see behind it. He always did.

She fought the urge to take a step back when he got closer to her, taking one large stride after another until he stopped. Right there, in front of Kono.

"Because," he started, faltering slightly when he saw the flicker of confusion and what he goddamn hoped wasn't dread in her eyes. His words got stuck midway through, mostly because, again, he wasn't at all sure of what to say. How to ask. What to do. "I saw you yesterday."

And he tried to push the part of his brain that actually registered the widening of her eyes and the fear behind her schooled features to the back of his head, just keep it storage in a little drawer he'd have difficulties opening. But he saw it. And the realization of what he saw spread through him so fast he didn't know what hit him, because no. No. This could _not_ be it. No. No!

But it was too late. He saw it when she decided to stop pretending. I mean, it's not like she had been pretending for that long, but she probably knew where the conversation was gonna end up anyway. So…

"At 6pm?" She asked, pursing her lips and crossing her arms over her chest. "You were the blue car parked in the opposite street, right? The car you use for stakeouts?"

He nodded, not trusting himself with words now. "Care to explain why you were there?"

She looked down, taking a deep breath. She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a minute, tilting her head to the side. She didn't really look scared right now. He was getting more confused by the second.

They stood there in a deep and tense silence for long minutes, and it was really no surprise for Kono when Steve got enough. "Ok, you wanna make this difficult? Fine." He growled out the words, taking his phone out of his pocket and dialing a number in a matter of seconds.

"What are you doing?" Ok, _now_ he recognized the fear lacing her words.

"I'm calling the Governor," he explained flippantly, staring deep into her eyes. "He'll most likely know whatever undercover shit you're involved in."

"What?" her response came out almost immediately, and she got it out through gritted teeth and clenched fists as an addition. "What did you just say?"

"What?" he asked, pocketing his phone again, because he seemed to have done its job properly. "Am I supposed to just believe you're using, Kono? Because, you know, I _know _you. You wouldn't do something like this if you didn't have a good reason to do it. So, come on, let it all out. Who got you undercover and where can I find them?" his face turned hard, dark, eyes boring into hers.

"You," her voice was trembling, all the anger coming out now. "think _I'm _going undercover with drug dealers and jackasses and people you don't even know without **telling** you?" she asked, jabbing a finger on his chest.

He breathed in, mostly because he was pretty sure he'd regret the next words out of his mouth the minute he spoke them. "Not like you haven't done it before, Kono."

And that did it for her. She had to clench her fists harder to be able to _not_ slap him or deck him or _something_ that would make him see his stupidity at the moment. "I **cannot** believe you."

"Who are you working for?" he pressed, coming even closer to her. "Answer."

She tried to calm herself. "The only fucking reason I didn't tell you about Fryer was because you were never around to listen!" she yells the last word out, her face scrunched up in all kinds of emotions. "And for you to think I would keep something like this from you again, that just fucking shows how much you _trust_ me now." She made a move to turn around and leave him standing there but he was faster, grabbing her arm and roughly pulling her back in front of him. "Let me go." She said with finality, words coming out clipped.

"So I'm supposed to just believe you've turned into drugs now?" he asked, setting his jaw. "I'm supposed to believe you've turned dirty?"

She chuckled in his face, a dark and tense chuckle that almost made him flinch. "Not like you haven't done it before." She threw his own words at him, freeing her arm with a harsh tug. "Steve."

"That is not fair." He snapped, following her as she turned to head into the kitchen. "I didn't even know what was going on with you! Is it that wrong that I _suspected_ something?"

"Yes!" she yelled, turning back to him violently. The look in her eyes made him halt to a stop. "Yes! How could you even think, for a moment, that I was **dirty**?" She spat the word out, such hatred engraved in it that Steve frowned at the woman in front of him. Why didn't she tell him this before?

"I-"

"When you were accused of **murdering **the Governor," she cut him off, taking a step towards him. "I never, ever, thought you had done it. I **knew** you weren't capable of something like that." she exhaled furiously, eyes intense and angry. "I trusted you. With my life. And I knew you would never do kill her. So imagine my disappointment when you actually accused me of being dirty. Of hanging around scums like that." she shot him a dangerous look before turning back to the counter, facing away from him.

"I…" he was at a loss for word, genuinely never having seen her this angry. "I apologized, Kono-"

"And what the hell did that do for me?" she snapped, hands tightening on the edge of the counter.

Fuck.

"Nothing." He rushed to answer, taking a small step towards her. "Nothing, I'm sor-"

"Don't." she said, shaking her head. "Do _not_ say you're sorry." She craned her neck to look at him. "Not when it's the second time you pull this bullshit on me."

He ran a hand over his face, letting out a deep breath. "Ok, just help me out here, Kono." he looked back at her. "Help me understand, please."

She went quiet. In fact, there wasn't any sound for a while in the room, so he was surprised when his eyes caught the single tear trailing down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily before he could comment on it, but then she was talking, and he let it go for the time being.

"They're for a friend." Her voice was strained, and when she finally turned around again, he could see the immense amount of effort it was taking her not to lose it right there. "I'm not undercover-" he didn't miss the edge on her voice at this. "-the drugs, they're for a friend."

She pursed her lips, taking in the raise of his eyebrow. "Medical reasons. She can't pay for the treatments. She needs these drugs." Her voice was diminishing with each word and her grip on the counter turned her knuckles white, as if that piece of marble was the only thing that was keeping her from not sinking to the floor and breaking. "I'm helping her. I'm just helping her."

And he had to close his eyes and will himself not to talk because- fuck. No, seriously, just-fuck. Why, why in fucking God's name did he have to find this out?

"You're-" he stopped himself, unspoken words bubbling up inside him and pressing against his chest. "So you **are**… buying drugs." His voice cracked. "Illegally."

He lifted his head to look at her and he almost wished he could read anything on her face. He almost wished she would just start crying and beg him not to tell anyone. Because he wouldn't. If she asked him to keep his mouth shut, he _would_ keep his mouth shut. But she wasn't saying anything, just leaning back against the counter she seemed to tighten her grip on even more. He shook his head, shutting his eyes tightly and just trying to get a track on things.

"Kono…" he started again, taking a deep breath. "You don't have to do this. You know that, right?"

He would have been surprised at her laughing at this but he knew that laugh. It was anything but a laugh, really. It was the complete opposite. "I don't have a choice. She is my friend."

He looked at her for a second. "Who's the friend?"

"I can't tell you that." she snapped.

"What type of drugs are they?"

"I can't tell you that either."

She was playing him. And it infuriated something deep inside him because she _knew_ he wouldn't blab, knew he would keep his mouth shut because she was Kono. Because of what she meant to him. Because she was Ohana.

"What the fuck are you thinking?" he hissed the words out, eyes hard on her. "Huh?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she walked past him, heading for the door. His eyes followed her until she paused in front of it, turning back to him.

"You need to leave."

He wanted to roll his eyes at that. The only problem was that this was anything but amusing. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You-" she pointed at him. "Need to leave. Now." She growled, opening the door. "Now." She repeated.

He looked between her and the door, eyes sweeping over her apartment because fuck if he wanted to stay, to work this out with her and help her. Just find a way to help her. But, of course, every bit of stubbornness inside him, he suspected equaled the double of it inside her. So he had no other option but to head to the door, shaking his head on his way and pausing when he was already halfway out the door.

"This isn't over."

He wasn't at all surprised when she shot him a sharp look and closed the door on his face.

**Authors note: Ok, so I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. So reviews would be greatly appreciated *wink*. Also, don't know if you're wondering, but this isn't the actual plot of the fic. It will just have many, many events and sub-plots inside it. So… I guess I'll see you in the next chapter, yeah? Review please!**

**Just a little side note, I'm thinking about writing a small one-shot that takes place after the latest episode. Steve and Kono, of course. I already have the first scene laid out; just have to write the next now. Would you guys read it? Let me know! Bye now!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Friend Zone part 5**

**Authors note: Hey guys! It's been a while. I deeply apologize for the delay, it's just that my computer broke down, and then I had to use my mother's, who also broke down (not my fault) and then I had to switch computers and… it was just a mess. Anyway, I still don't have my computer back, and I was really reluctant to write this chapter, since all my material for this story was on my other computer, but I hope you like it nonetheless. I missed writing.**

**Do let me know what you think, ok?**

**Off you go reading!**

**Chapter 5**

"He knows, doesn't he?"

Kono chewed on her bottom lip, eyes still down. "Yeah."

Chin sighed, leaning back on his chair. He looked around- Malia wouldn't be home for another two hours, giving them plenty of time to talk this through and figure something out. "What happened?"

He saw her running a hand through her hair. "He followed me."

Chin closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "You said you were gonna be careful, Kono."

"I was."

"Then how did he manage to follow you?"

"I don't know." She dropped back on the couch, feeling like a total failure under the intense gaze from her cousin. So instead, she chose to focus on his leaving room decoration. "I had a bad day. Didn't check for any cars. Didn't even think I needed to."

Chin huffed, hunching forward, the wheels on his brain turning visibly at full speed. "What did he say?"

"We had a fight." She offered, her eyes getting a distant look. "I said they were for a friend. Medical reasons." She made a vain gesture with her hand. "You know, the excuse we agreed on."

The corner of Chin's mouth twitched. "You make it sound like this is some kind of hit we've been planning for months."

She laughed sarcastically. "Well, not a hit, but…"

He nodded as she trailed off. "Did he buy it?"

She shrugged, her stomach burning with nervousness. "Don't know. Didn't seem like it, to be honest."

Chin rubbed his hands across his face, letting his gaze drop to the floor. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"We both did."

"And still-" he pushed "We _agreed_ on it." He finished with a disbelieving look.

"It's Laura." Kono reminded him, as if that name alone would make everything they did forgivable. "We did it for her."

"Ah damnit." Chin cursed, getting up from the chair. "We aren't even helping her."

Kono nodded, slumping further on the couch. "It's easier to think that way, though."

Chin bit the inside of his cheek, turning towards her. "It went too far. We have to put an end to this."

She nodded again because he was right. And that scared her. A lot.

"You have to tell him the truth."

Kono left his house not too long after that.

….

She was pretty confident about what she was gonna do until she got to his front door. Now, there, under the bright Sunday sun and under the effect that tightening on her belly was causing on her, she began to reconsider her decision.

But she knew this was the only possible way out. This couldn't go further than what it had already gone. It was with that thought on her mind that she finally raised her hand and knocked on his door, running her fingers through her hair nervously and waiting for him to open it.

Somehow, she was expecting disapproving glances and harsh words and _at least_ a half an hour before he even let her in, but to her surprise, that's not what happened. The second Steve opened the front door and saw her standing there, squinting her eyes up at him and a determined look on her features, he had nodded slightly and opened the door wide for her.

He knew she was coming.

And she tried to fight the fact that it caused something heavy to wake up in her because she hadn't realized that he'd come to know her so well. It's a losing battle. And she tried to ignore his tense body and dark lines under his eyes, tried to ignore the way her not trusting him with the truth had seemed to hurt him, tried to ignore the annoying little voice on the back of her head that kept insisting he cared more about her than she had ever given him credit for. She tried to ignore all that, and failed miserably.

And she had to take a couple of seconds before snapping out of this trance of hers and actually walking into his house, closing the door after her and making her way to his living room.

He was sitting on the couch, downing the last contents of his beer, and turned to look at her. Without a doubt, waiting for her to sit and start explaining. _Knowing_ she would do that.

She shook her head; silently praying to God Steve wouldn't be reading her every move throughout their conversation. That could get dangerous. So she walked further into the room, slightly hesitating before taking the seat next to him.

They sat in silence for a few moments before she finally started.

"You wanna hear the truth, right?" she asked, not really expecting a reaction to that, but she looked sideways anyway to see him turning the bottle in his hands with a furrowed brow. She swallowed when his eyes made their way to hers, hard and defining and she was quick to look away, picking at her fingernails.

"I lied to you." She finally settled for that. It's really no surprise when she hears him snort beside her.

"No shit." He half laughs, getting up. "Want a beer?"

_Can somebody tell her why he always walks away when they actually have something important to talk about?_

"I'm good." She sighed, thinking over what the fuck she was gonna tell him in her head.

He came back with two beers. She didn't think the second one was for her, though.

He sat in silence again, taking a long gulp and exhaling slowly. "Talk."

She tried her best not to cringe at the 'order'. Yeah, because really, that sounded more like an order than anything else.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Ok." She straightened up, turning her head to look at him. "Ok."

And he'll be damned if he doesn't look her in the eyes and catches a glimpse of the enormity of what she's hiding. He turned away not a second after. He can't believe she's doing this to him.

"Not everything I told you was a lie." She started, biting her lip. "The drugs _are_ for a friend."

"Just not for medical reasons." He finished for her, contempt creeping into his voice.

"No." she admitted. "But you're gonna have to drop that crappy mood you're in, otherwise you'll never get it."

"You _lied _to me." He snapped, eyes burning with anger. "Right to my face, Kono. What am I supposed to do? Act like everything's ok?"

Another minute passed by and he shut his eyes, willing himself to get some self-control back. When he opened them again, he caught movement from his side.

"Are you…" he trailed off, turning fully towards her. "Kono-"

"Don't." she warned, voice almost breaking. "Don't." she repeated, but her shoulders were still shaking.

"Ok." He nodded, suddenly more confused than ever. "Why are you-"

"She can't-" she croaked out, rubbing furiously at her rapidly reddening eyes. "She can't stop. She just…" she tried to take a calming breath, instead letting a couple of sobs get out. She immediately beat herself up for it.

"Take your time." He offered, his throat dry.

Ok. So maybe he should have dropped the cold treatment a while ago.

His stomach churned unpleasantly at the sight of her.

He considered trying to comfort her in some way, talking to her or even just put a hand on her shoulder or something, but decided against it. He's really at a loss of what to do, here.

Steve thanked every God listening to him at the moment when she finally started talking again.

"Her name's Laura." Kono said, hand fisting the hem of her shirt. "I've known her since we were three. She's… we've _all_ known her. My family. She's _part_ of my family."

Ohana. He got it.

"A couple of years ago…" she trailed off, her voice shaking. "Laura got into some really bad stuff. Hanging out with some really bad people."

He tightened his jaw. Fuck.

He's seen one to many cases like this _not_ to know what happens next.

"She started using." Kono only confirmed his suspicions, anyway.

But that was when it all clicked. And it took every single fiber of his being not to shout at her and fucking ask her how she could have been so stupid, it really did, because when he finally understood how it all lead up to that afternoon, on his stakeout car, he wanted to punch something.

Hard.

"And you're…" he shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around what she was telling him. He took in a ragged breath. "What do you have to do with all of this?"

"I'm-" she rushed to answer, only to clamp her mouth shut and push back the tears still stinging the back of her eyes. "She's…. I'd never seen her like that. She looked like she was dying." Her eyes looked blazed, full of memories rushing through them. "We tried to get her to rehab. But she wouldn't get better."

He stayed silent, avoiding her gaze.

"One day," she sighed, thinking back. "I figured I'd talk to Chin about it. Same shit. Got her to rehab, she left a couple months after, started using again. And every time she skipped her _daily dose_-" he really didn't recognize the hatred (or was it disappointment? Sadness?) with which she spoke those two words. "-she would go crazy." Her hand gripped the hem of her shirt tighter, almost ripping the fabric. "She tried to kill herself, once."

He can't believe this. His eyes fell closed and he strained to hear her as her tone got lower, the words painful as they left her mouth.

"She wasn't the same Laura anymore, but I still loved her. Go figure." She sniffled. "So I made an agreement with her. _I'd _get her the drugs. Oversea connections, the dealers would have had no way of knowing me." She pursed her lips. "I always gave her less than I got. It didn't matter. She would _thank me._ I just-"

That was it for her.

Her shoulders shook violently again and all oxygen left her, leaving her gasping for breath and trying to keep herself together. "Please, Steve, just-"

"I know." He _finally_ spoke, swiftly (and, again, finally) enveloping her in his arms and holding her tight.

He doesn't know how long they stayed like that. But when he caught a glimpse of the sky from his living room window, it was already darkening. He noticed with some relief that she had stopped shaking, but hadn't pulled away yet.

When she does, it's only to look away and start talking again.

"Please-" she got out, the words getting stuck midway through. "Don't tell anyone. I… I know you're disappointed at me right now, and I'm sorry, I really fucking am, but-"

"Kono." He interrupted, frowning. "Do you not remember I stole 10 _million_ dollars?" She looked at him, unsure of what he was trying to say.

"Yeah."

"And why did I do it?"

"Because we had to save Chin." She answered, shaking her head. "What are you getting at?" her voice still trembled.

"I had to save Chin. A friend." He replied, but she didn't get it. "Look, we've all done stuff we regret. I stole the ten millions, even though I knew that wouldn't save Chin. We had to kill Hesse to save him." He stopped there, clearly not wanting to relieve the memory of that day. God, the look in her eyes as she saw her cousin, on his knees, with a bomb strapped to his neck. The look on all their eyes…

"I won't tell." He guaranteed, her eyes falling closed. "But Kono-"

"I know." It's her turn to interrupt. "I'll talk to her. I'll stop."

He pursed his lips, leaning away from her. He stood like that for a bit, gazing at her face, an unpleasant shrill running up his spine.

"You still don't trust me, do you?"

"What?" she snapped her head up, frowning. "You said you wouldn't tell, I believe you-"

"No, that's not-" he took a deep breath, shook his head. "Because of…" what? The Delano thing? Him forgetting about her? What? "…everything that's happened. You don't trust me."

It's more of a statement than it is a question, and it just proved his point when she looked away once again.

He didn't need an answer from her, the fact that she didn't say anything already made it feel like he had been stabbed in the chest.

Sometimes, he really doesn't know how he survived most of his life. He's so fucking stupid.

"I'll get it back." Steve said in a decisive tone, looking her dead in the eyes. "I'll get your trust back. Don't worry."

It's funny how he's telling _her_ not to worry when he's the one who screwed up to begin with. But he knows what he's talking about. Between them, they always know what they're talking about. She smiled a little for the first time since she walked into his house, and leaned the slightest bit towards him.

"You want me to go with you?" he asked, still holding her gaze.

"That's ok brah." She said, "I'll handle it."

He nodded, eyes scrutinizing her features. "_Ohana_, right?"

He's not talking about Laura anymore.

"Yeah." She agreed. "_Ohana_. _Mahalo_."

…

They'll be ok.

**Authors note: Ok, that's it for this chapter. What did you guys think? Good? Bad? Let me know! You can drop a review right there *points down*. **

**I'd like to thank Tiana-P and Poisonedship for all their support and betaying. Thanks so much girls!**

**Ok, hope to see you guys in my next update (which will be, hopefully, sooner than this one)! And oh, the update on The Prompts should be up in the next few days. Thank you so much for all the patience :)**

**Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Friend Zone part 6**

**Authors note: Ok guys, so I know I'm WAY behind on this, but… well, I hope you like it! And I will seriously try to update faster next time.**

**Off you go reading! And do leave a review if you have the time :)**

**Chapter 6**

It was _not_ her fault he wasn't picking up his phone. This paperwork needed to get done today, or she was gonna hit someone. The case was closed yesterday, and if she got him to sign the papers today, she would finally be able to go home and get some rest. Well, at least until there was another murder.

But that could wait.

Right now, Kono was getting off her car and heading for Steve's door. She had a spare key (he had given one to each team member so they could all walk in at any time), so she didn't even bother knocking. She turned the knob and entered the house, closing the door quietly behind her, and looked around. The place seemed empty, immaculate.

But then again, he was a SEAL. Who was she kidding?

"Steve?" she called out, taking a few steps towards the stairs. "Steve, are you there?"

No one answered. She wondered if she should go up the stairs, just to check if he was there, but really, who was she to bother him? Although… the paperwork…

"Hello? Steve?"

"Can I help you with something?"

She swears she almost had a heart attack. She turned to the entrance to the kitchen quickly, her right hand immediately going for the gun. Turns out, it wasn't really necessary.

"Who are you?" she asked, eyes wide.

There was a man standing on the kitchen doorway, looking rather uneasy, eyes confused as he stared back at her. "I'm John, from Steve's SEAL team. Who are you?" he asked back, frowning.

She was pretty sure her mouth had dropped open at some point. She blinked a couple of times. "Can I, uh… can I see some ID?" she asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.

_John_ looked at her for another second before rummaging around in his pocket and taking out his credentials. He took a step closer to her, making her fight the urge to step back. He showed them to her, close enough for her to confirm that yes, he was from the Navy, and yes, he knew Steve. And yes, she was making a complete fool of herself.

"I… I see." She said uncomfortably.

"And you are…" he trailed off, putting the credentials back in his pocket. "Steve didn't mention he was expecting anyone."

"Oh, no, I'm not supposed to be here," she shook her head, though glancing at his face, she hurried to explain. "I'm from Steve's task force. He must have mentioned it to you. Five-0?"

She saw confusion going through his face before he must have remembered something, his face lighting up in acknowledgment. "Oh, right! Yeah, we've talked about it before. I'm sorry, I just didn't assume he would have such a…" he smiled, letting out a little laugh. "… such a beautiful teammate as yourself."

"Oh." She said, completely caught off guard, a small laugh escaping her as well. "Thank you. Just… where _is_ Steve?"

John seemed to be confused for a moment before his hand automatically reached for his pocket. "He said he had to go to the store to buy some food. Would you like me to call him?"

She smiled. "No, don't worry about it; I'll just come back later. Tell him I stopped by, ok?"

He nodded, smiling. "I will."

It's only when she was turning back to the door that she really took the time to look at him. I mean, actually look at him. Him and Steve weren't very different, she thought. John was tall, certainly built, and… well, hot, she contemplated as a blush rose all the way to her cheeks. Before she could embarrass herself further she quickly headed for the door and opened it, muttering a polite goodbye as she left Steve's house.

But, of course… as fate would have it, you wanna guess who she just _had_ to run into as she went down the two fucking steps on his porch?

"Kono?" Steve asked, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

She stopped in her tracks, staring open mouthed up at him. "Um, hey, I-"

"Steve?" she heard John's voice coming from behind her, and she closed her eyes in defeat. Why did she always get herself in these situations? "Oh, you're back. Good, I think this lady here wants to talk to you."

_This lady?_ Fuck, how old did he think she was?

Steve raised an eyebrow at her. He would have crossed his arms across his chest (typical Steve) but, well, he was carrying about a thousand bags of groceries. What did he eat, anyway? "Yes?"

She blinked up at him before remembering the reason why she had come here. By then, John had already moved next to Steve. "Yeah, uh, I need you to sign some papers for me." She said quickly. "Which are in my car."

He nodded, turning his head towards John, "Mind waiting just a minute?"

"No, not at all," he shook his head, taking the bags from Steve. "I'll just put these in your kitchen."

"Thanks man," Steve clapped him on the back before heading after Kono, who was already making her way to her car.

She handed him the papers as soon as they got there, her hair fanning over her face, probably (thankfully) hiding her blushed cheeks.

"You ok?"

Ok, this? This annoys her. He was completely focused on the papers, signing them and moving on to the next one rather quickly, so how the hell did he actually _notice_ that she was… you know, a little weird, perhaps?

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered. "Why?"

Steve chuckled, handing her the papers back. "Here, they're signed. We're having dinner, wanna join us?"

"No." she answered immediately. "I mean, I've got plans."

"Huh-huh." He replied distractedly, looking at the house. "Well, I'll be sure to give him your number."

He had the nerve to smirk at her before walking away.

"Hey, no, Steve, wait-" she tried but he was already walking back to the house, shutting the door behind him.

Oh.

Joy.

….

"What are you doing here?"

Steve raised an eyebrow. "What a nice way to greet your friend."

"It's Sunday night."

"So?"

"It's Valentine's day."

Steve peered into her apartment, looking thoroughly focused on finding something. "Well, no offense, but you don't exactly seem to be getting ready to go out, Kono. In case you're wondering, the dirty dishes gave you away."

Kono smacked his chest playfully, earning a laugh from him. "Come on," he pleads, flashing her a grin. "I brought food." He offers, holding up the bag with the cartons.

"Good," she said, opening the door wide. "That's the only reason I'm letting you in."

He laughed, walking past her and into her apartment.

"You want something to drink?" she asked, heading for the kitchen.

"Beer, thanks. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Oh, no," she hurried to answer, "Those are from yesterday, don't worry." She clarified, motioning for the pile of plates on her sink. She returned to the couch she had been sitting on a few moments before (and Steve had now occupied, apparently) with two ice cold beers. "Move over."

He made room for her, handing her the carton. "Why are you here, anyway? I thought you had a date with… what's her name, Sarah?"

"Samantha, actually." Steve answered, turning on the TV, "She canceled, said she had some work to do back at the hospital. She promised to make it up for me later."

"Oooh, ok, a bit too much information there," Kono laughed, leaning back on the couch.

"Why are _you_ here? Wasn't John supposed to take you out tonight?" he asked, turning to look at her.

She nodded. "Yeah, but we turned it into a lunch date. Tonight wasn't good for him."

"Really? Wasn't today the _big_ day?" he questioned, eyes trained on the TV.

"What big day?" she asked back, glancing at him.

"You know," he trailed off, putting a spoon full of pasta on his mouth. "_The big _day_._"

"Oh." Was all she said, chewing on her food. "Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"So… why didn't he find the time for the big date?"

Kono snickered, focusing on the TV. "He did. Remember? We had lunch today. And let me tell you, it was quite the _big_ date. Bigger than I had been expecting, really. As in, _really_ big." She finished, looking at him.

He sat there, looking at her blankly before his face scrunched up in utter disgust.

"Oh jeesh, Kono!"

"What? You were the one who asked!"

"I didn't ask you for that!"

"Well," she began, laughing. "I just told you the truth."

"Not exactly the truth I wanted to hear." He muttered.

"Oooosh now, don't be jealous." She mocked, panting him on the arm.

"Shut up," he replied, rolling his eyes. "How are things with you two anyway?"

She shrugged, "They're good."

They stayed in silence for a moment before Steve looked at her. "Come on, spill."

"What?"

"You got that look."

"What look?" she asked back, eyebrows raising.

"That 'I'm hiding something' look. You know that squinty expression and blanky eyes."

Kono smiled, which turned into a laugh. "You mean, an aneurysm face?"

Despite himself, Steve laughed along with her. "Yeah, exactly. So come on, what's wrong?"

She shrugged again, followed by a soft sigh. "I don't know. He's fun and all but… he's just, he's that guy that you would never want to commit to. _That _guy that you'll date for a few weeks and then you'll have an incredibly friendly break up."

Steve looked at her, surprised. "Really? I thought you really liked him."

"I do. I just don't think he's the guy for me."

Steve nodded, taking a sip of his beer. "You're gonna break his heart, just so you know."

She snapped her head towards him. "What?"

"You're all he talks about." Steve said, with an annoyed edge to his voice. "Kono this, Kono that... I swear I want to punch him sometimes."

She cringed, putting down her carton. "Shit."

"Yeah. Just go easy on him, alright?"

She turned, squinting her eyes at him. "Because he's your _bud_?"

He rolled his eyes again, drinking some more of his beer. "Honestly? Yes. And because he really likes you. So just let him down easy."

She sighed. "Yeah, don't worry, I will. Maybe wait a week or so."

Steve snickered. "Giving him some more false hope?"

"What do you want me to do? I can't dump him now, for the love of God, it's Valentine's day!"

Steve huffed, setting down his beer and focusing his attention on Kono rather than the movie on TV. "Fine, but I'm telling you, he'll know something is up. He's a SEAL, remember?"

…

And remember she did. Two days after Valentine's day he was already asking her what was wrong.

Why did Steve have to give him her number?

…

"I broke up with him."

Steve raised his head from the pile of papers, glancing at her. "I know."

"You know?" she asked back. "How do you know?"

"In case you don't remember, we're friends. We talk. And we keep each other from going into an alcoholic coma when someone breaks up with us." He remarked.

Kono cringed. "That bad?"

He looked at her for a few more seconds before sighing, leaning back in his chair. "No. But let's just say he didn't take it very well."

"You gonna hate me?"

_Pfff. As is he could ever hate her._

"No, of course not." He replied, getting up. "But I'm not introducing you to any more of my friends."

"Well, you didn't actually introduce me, I ran into him by accident, so-"

"Kono." He stopped her, raising an eyebrow.

She has a childish urge to roll her eyes and throw her arms up.

"Fine," she ended up saying, pursing her lips.

He laughed, grabbing his gun and badge. "C'mon. We're going to lunch."

"We are?" she furrowed her brow.

"Yeah, I'm hungry. Unless you just wanna order pizza with Dann-"

"I'll wait for you in the car!" she cut him off, already making her way towards the elevators in a hurried step. He shook his head, closing his office door and walking after her.

…

But… the words still rang on his head.

"_I think she's still caught up on someone else."_

Caught up on someone else…

It's probably stupid, but… there was that moment…

A week ago.

And…

Nah, he's just being stupid.

_Caught up on someone else._

Nonsense.

**Authors note: Ok guys, so that's it for today. This was more of a Steve/Kono centric chapter, but I hope you liked it nonetheless.**

**See you next time! Until then!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Friend Zone part 7**

**Authors note: I know it's been a while guys, but a lot has been happening so please bear with me sweeties. Anyways, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated, and do enjoy your reading, ok? Off you go!**

**Chapter 7**

"Yeah, ok. I'll see you later, yes. Ok, bye." She ended the call with a smile, turning back to her friend. "What?"

"Who was that?" Carla asked, a suspicious tone lacing her voice.

"Steve." Kono said simply, signaling the waiter near their table for another couple of drinks. She didn't seem too keen on explaining herself further, instead focusing on finishing her beer.

"Steve? As in, your boss?" Carla asked, surprised. "You're friends with him?"

Kono rolled her eyes. "C, I told you, they're all like family to me."

Carla made a high pitched sound, something between a choked out laugh and a fake cough, and Kono squinted her eyes at her. "What now?"

"Steve is like family to you?" she laughed, "As if someone can be 'just friends' with a hot piece of ass like that."

"Carla!" did she have something to throw at her head? "He's my boss, don't talk about him like that, just- gross."

Carla nodded, grabbing her beer. "Like you haven't thought about it."

"Would you believe me if I told you I didn't?"

"No," Carla replied, her tone suggesting that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

"Ok," Kono sighed. "New topic, then."

…

Someone once told Kono there were five great things about having a guy best friend. She was young, really, so she wasn't even pay attention to what that other person was rambling on about, but she did remember that someone had written down those five things on a piece of paper and handed it to her. She could have cared less about the paper, but kept it anyway. Mostly because there no garbage cans around.

She now looks back, and thinks that such friend was an angel from the future.

Not too long ago, Kono had to help her mom remodel her room into a nursery for her newest niece, and, truth be told, even though she was excited about the prospect of a new baby to play and (eventually) teach how to surf, she was a little less excited about having to turn her room into a nursery.

On one end, of course, childhood memories would be lost and all that, but… the work. It would take s_o_ much work to remodel that room. SO much.

But, oh well. What needs to be done…

And so, agreeing to help on her first day off in weeks, she headed to her parent's house on the other side of the island. And at 10 am, in that precise day, she found it.

The paper.

Still intact, surprisingly, stashed inside one of her flowery notebooks. She smiled as she read what was on it. She almost didn't remember.

Almost.

But then again, remembering… was either the best, or the worst thing she ever did on her entire life. Why? Well, in order to explain that, she would have to reveal the memories coming back to her as she read those five _great_ things about having a guy best friend.

And... why not?

…

They can always make you laugh.

...

"Wow. What happened to _you_?"

Steve stood there with an irritated expression, scowling. "Danny."

Ok. She saw that coming. "What did you do now?"

A truly offended expression spreads across his face. "I didn't do anything! The suspect was pointing a gun at me, what was I supposed to do? Let him get away?"

She shook her head. "Sit." She ordered more than said, pointing to the chair in front of her desk. He did, walking slowly and wincing slightly as he sat. "So, let me guess. You broke a few of his ribs."

"Very funny," he mumbled, only to then let a few incomprehensible words past his lips.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I," he huffed, thinking about his next words carefully. "I fought him."

She nodded. "Hence the black eye. Anything else?"

"There might have been a few... small, grenades involved."

_No. Come on._

She coughed to cover the laugh, giving up when she's about ready to double over her stomach at his face. "Oh, boy, you really outdid yourself this time." She declared, making him fight the urge to laugh along with her. Don't blame him, her laugh is actually funnier than most of her jokes.

"I hate you."

"You love me." She contradicted, letting a few more laughs out.

He leaned back on the chair, closing his eyes and blocking any sound around him. God, his head...

Kono caught movement ahead of her. "Hey, I think somebody wants you."

Steve turned his head around, wincing more than when he sat on the chair as he saw Danny's angry face disappearing into his office.

"He was calling you, in case you're wondering." Kono offered helpfully, because she's sweet like that.

"You wanna come with?" he asked, getting up from the chair with a resigned expression on his face. "He won't murder me if I have a witness."

"I think you'll be alright by yourself." She assured him, trying her best to keep her laugh in.

Not long after that, when Danny and Steve's shouts had filled the HQ, Chin looks over to Kono to see her laughing over the stack of paperwork she's filing.

...

That was the first thing she remembered when she read the first line on the paper. It was strange, alright, but somehow she just couldn't shake the memory off her mind.

Grenades were a pretty hard thing to forget.

Anyway, the second line required a somewhat more angsty memory. One that was on her mind for weeks.

...

They beg when you're mad at them.

...

"Kono, open the door. Please, Kono, c'mon."

There's still no answer.

He knocked again, his knuckles rasping against the wooden door and aching from the countless times he already knocked on her door in the past minutes. He sighed, closing his eyes. "You know I'm gonna break it down if you don't open it."

He doesn't hear any movement.

"Kono, for fuck's sake, you left the TV on, I know you're there!"

He stopped knocking, listening for anything that would tell him she was even moving on the carpeted floor on the other side of the door. There's no sound besides the soft hum of whatever show the TV's stuck in. He shook his head, stepping back from the door and stuffing his hands deep in his pockets. Resignedly, he started heading for the elevators again, planning on calling her as soon as he got home.

"What do you want?"

He snapped his head back, not understanding how the hell she was standing there, under the threshold, a frown on her face and her arms crossed over her chest, and he hadn't heard her.

"I-" he stopped himself from saying any further, instead choosing the think about his next words wisely, scared that she would close the door on his face. Again. He took a tentative step towards her. "I came here to apologize."

"And you think that's gonna make it better?" Kono asked back, raising an eyebrow.

"No." he answered honestly, taking a deep breath. "But it's better than nothing, right?"

She stared back at him, eyes unrelenting. He was close to begging to be let in, but kept his mouth shut, afraid anything else he'd say would only cause her to turn away.

"Ok." She said, to his surprise, stepping to the side to allow him to enter the apartment. "But it better be worth it."

Steve had to contain a sigh of relief as he walked by her uncertainly, hearing the door lock behind him. She turned to him, leaning against the door, as if still pondering if she should throw him out before he talked. "So?"

He felt a bit sheepish suddenly, looking around nervously as he stuffed his hands deep in his pockets. "How's, uh... Nick?"

"You mean the guy you beat up?" she asked back, not feeling the slightest bit guilty as she sees the regret crossing his face. "He's back at home. With a bandage on his head."

Steve sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't think it was that bad."

Kono let out a humorless laugh, getting off the door and heading to the living room. "What did you expect? You threw him to the concrete; did you think he would get away with a band aid?"

"Why are you acting like the bastard didn't deserve it?" Steve asked, frowning, trying to keep his voice under control.

She stopped on her tracks, turning back to him. "What?" she hissed, voice sharp. "You almost killed him!"

"He cheated on you!"

"We kissed _once_!" she yelled back, fisting her hands at her sides. "Once! It wasn't even official, why is it my business if he slept with someone else?"

"What the fuck?" Steve grunted, "A guy doesn't kiss you and then sleep with someone else!"

Kono sighed, trying desperately to grasp the last threads of patience. "Steve," she started, calmly. "Not everyone is like you, ok? Some guys lie to people. Others cheat, it happens. I pick the wrong ones. But it isn't up to _you_ to almost kill them because I didn't see right through them."

Steve wanted to argue, to tell her that fucker deserved to end up in the hospital for what he did to her, tell her that she was way too much of a woman for him, tell her that he would do it all over again if he had the chance. But then again, that really might get him thrown out of her apartment.

"Ok?" she raised an eyebrow, eyes locked on his.

"Ok." He shrugged, pursing his lips. "So am I forgiven?"

She shook her head. "You still think you have a point, don't you?"

He nodded. "Of course I do. But I get it. And I'm sorry I crossed the line for you." He got closer to her, "So can you forgive me?"

She wants to laugh, but ends up letting out a crooked smile, snorting and letting herself be enveloped by his arms. "Yes." She says, almost reluctantly.

"I still think he deserved it." He mumbled against her hair, but as he felt her slapping his chest with a laugh, he laughed as well, and didn't touch the subject again.

...

She never thought of mentioning to him that as soon as Nick got the head bandage removed, she showed up at his house for a little visit. That would just make Steve's ego bigger than it already was.

The third line on the paper was actually the only one that didn't summon up an exact memory. It brought up a whole different set of memories that she couldn't really wait to get rid of.

_They're sweet when you cry._

It's not like she's a crier. She's not. But sometimes, at night, when she's alone, in her room, surrounded by darkness and the shadows of blood and hurt and death, she feels a compelling will to break, deep in her stomach, rising to her throat as fast as the tears rise to her eyes.

It usually happens after a specially tough case. And, as luck would have it, Steve is always there. She knows why, though. He sees it in her eyes, how she just can't wait to get home, drop to her knees and forget the weight of the day. And he stops her, takes her to his office, closes the door, shuts the blinds, and just hugs her.

And she _hates_ it. Because it makes her feel like she's a little puppy walking around and searching for everyone's protection. And she's fucking not. But somehow, with his fragrance feeling her nostrils, and his calming words filling her ears, she also knows he understands that. And it's not like she couldn't do this with a girl friend, no. It's just that this, with him, here, as she's about to break... she feels safe. She feels safe like she hasn't felt ever since she lost surfing.

She feels safe with someone she looks up to. With someone who's her friend. She feels safe with someone she would take a bullet for.

And for that, she's unbelievably grateful to have him as her best friend.

And ooops, not that she planned this, but the fourth line is also included in this. The fact that they always protect you. And not only does she feel that with Steve, she also feels that the rest of her _Ohana_. That big, amazing, and sometimes annoying Ohana of hers. But the one she's happy to deal with every day. They protect each other. That's how it works.

No way around it.

So there you have it. Reasons why having a guy best friend is amazing.

Four. Four reasons.

Because the last one, written hurriedly on the bottom of the paper, that she profusely chose to ignore? That one doesn't count.

And as Kono leaves her old house, with an unsettling feeling in her stomach and brushing a strand of hair away from her face, she tries to keep her mind off the newly found paper, and instead busies herself calling Chin and asking if he wants to catch lunch.

And the last line is kept deep in the house, where no one will ever find it, only to be whispered to the wind and never mentioned again.

Because... number 5?

She shakes her head with a silly smile tugging at her lips. As if...

...

Number 5.

They can fall _in love_ with you.

...

_1 week ago_

"Kono..." Steve rasped, swallowing thickly. A bead of sweat rolled down his back, as he stares into her eyes. They seemed to dilate slightly and she stood up a little straighter, her back leaving the wall.

"I should, uh..." Kono cleared her throat, trying to create her own moment of lucidity between him pressed up against her, pinning her to the wall, and his breath, hovering above her, making thinking that much harder. "I should go." She whispered almost inaudibly, turning her head and slowly walking away from him.

And he's just left there. With his thoughts. Thinking.

Thinking about what could have just happened.

And maybe, just _maybe_... thinking about how much he had wanted it to happen.

**Authors note: Ok guys, hope you liked it! If you did, or even if you didn't, *points down* leave a review right there! Have a good day/night!**


End file.
